2022 Italian MotoGP, Mugello Circuit – Warm-up Results

* Rookie

Fastest practice time:
Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati 1m 45.393s

Official Mugello MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Fabio Quartararo FRA Yamaha 1m 45.187s (2021)
Fastest race lap:
Johann Zarco FRA Ducati 1m 46.810s (2021)

Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales lead an Aprilia one-two in morning warm-up for the Italian MotoGP at Mugello.

Despite some damp patches, slick tyres were used from the start and bright sunshine meant track conditions were improving by the minute, with lap times finishing close to full dry pace.

Espargaro and Vinales spent much of the session riding together. Espargaro explained yesterday that as well as trying to help Vinales, by riding together they are able to check things such as sixth gear (10km/h higher when following) and front tyre pressure in a slipstream.

Espargaro will start seventh on the grid after the damp qualifying (and Vinales just 24th), but made clear on Saturday that he has the potential to win his second race of the year. 

“The goal tomorrow is win, 100%,” Espargaro said. “I’m more focussed and convinced than ever. It’s a very important race for me and the team. It’s going to be difficult with a lot of Ducatis in front. But we have the pace. The bike is working good. we are going to try.

“It’s going to be difficult tomorrow because the young riders [on the front row] are going to give everything in the first five laps. They’ve been brave today, fast. congratulations to them, but I don’t think they have the pace to fight for the podium tomorrow, at least after 10 laps. But the first 10 laps for them will be the end of the world.

“The problem is if Pecco is able to overtake [the young Ducati riders on the front row], I don’t think they will re-overtake Pecco. If I overtake them, they will try to overtake me, 100%. So I have to be aggressive. It’s not going to be easy. I think Fabio [6th] is more in trouble than me because my bike is a bit faster than the Yamaha. Not by a lot. But with the draft my bike is not bad.

“4

“Let’s see. I think it’s going to be a fun race.”

Home rookie stars Fabio di Giannantonio and Marco Bezzecchi, who will start first and second on the grid, were 14th and 3rd fastest respectively in warm-up. Fellow front row starter Luca Marini began the day with 7th.

Marc Marquez, who was 12th, will step back from the 2022 MotoGP season and undergo a fourth arm operation after today’s race.

Fabio Quartararo heads into this afternoon’s grand prix leading the MotoGP standings by four points from Enea Bastianini, with Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro just eight points from the top.

Quartararo won last year’s Mugello race after Francesco Bagnaia ed from the lead on lap 2, but can the Frenchman again compensate for his M1’s lack of speed along the fastest straight on the MotoGP calendar?

Local legend Valentino Rossi had his #46 officially retired from MotoGP on Saturday.

The official MotoGP top speed record of 362.4km/h (225.2mph), first set by Johann Zarco at Qatar 2021, was equalled by Brad Binder at Mugello last season.

Test riders Michele Pirro (Ducati) and Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia) are making their latest wild-card appearances.

Darryn Binder will need to serve a long lap penalty in the race for ‘ing while not respecting a yellow flag in FP3’, while Jorge Martin has a three-place grid penalty (from 11th to 14th) for ‘being slow on the line and disturbing another rider on the last lap of FP3’.

2022 Italian Grand Prix – MotoGP schedule (UK Time):

“5

Friday May 27

8.55am-9.40am – Free Practice 1

1.10pm-1.55pm – Free Practice 2

Saturday May 28

8.55am-9.40am – Free Practice 3

12.30pm-1pm – Free Practice 4

1.10pm-1.25pm – Qualifying 1

1.35pm-1.50pm – Qualifying 2

Sunday May 29

8.40am-9am – Warm-up

1pm – Race